


Not What It Looks Like

by LittleMissHeartfillia



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Freed's a supportive boyfriend even if they're not together yet, M/M, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, WWTDP, but he tells no one, canonverse, fairy tail guild is rowdy, laxus can sing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 01:38:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16254023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissHeartfillia/pseuds/LittleMissHeartfillia
Summary: Laxus swears he's not sappy like some other people in the guild. He's gone this far without revealing his musical ability. But he soon finds that he can't hide from Freed.





	Not What It Looks Like

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my contribution to @ftlgbtales (tumblr) first October event. This particular scenario was suggested by an anon on tumblr and it was just perfect for the Week Two Day 3 prompt "This is not what it looks like"

Freed Justine looked over the job request form one last time. A few miles away a town on the coast needed help with what they called a few rowdy sea creatures. But on the paper there was an expertly drawn leviathan and it had been ranked S class by the magic council. Clearly a few simple sea creatures this job was not.

“You sure this is the one Laxus was talkin’ about?” Bixlow asked.

Evergreen put her hands on her hips and smirked, “It’d be just like him to choose the hardest one.”

“I’m sure,” Freed said. “He also said he would be here by this morning before we set off.”

Bixlow made a vague shrug, “Probably still sleeping. I swear sometimes he loves sleeping more than Mystogan does.”

Freed sighed, knowing full well what would have to happen next. Laxus could be grumpy on a good day, but if he was woken up prematurely he almost never took it well. Still Freed had been down this road before. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to check on Laxus after they all agreed to meet at the guild hall for a job.

“I’ll go check on him,” Freed announced, deftly stepping out of the way as Natsu’s body was hurled over the request board. The fire mage broke one of the tables in back. He scrambled to his feet just as quickly as he’d fallen and charged at the main floor again, shouting insults at Gray.

Evergreen cast a disapproving look at the rowdy bunch. “Hurry up, please. Before these hooligans give me a headache.”

Freed nodded and left his two friends to debate who would win the fight and if they could both take on Bixlow or not. Evergreen was resolute in her insistence that Bixlow not cause a bigger fight, to which Bixlow called her a killjoy. That was the last Freed heard of them as he strolled casually out of the guild hall, chairs, mugs and food sailing over his head.

In all honesty he didn’t blame Laxus for not being at the guild all the time. With this craziness who would want to? It didn’t take him long to walk to Laxus’s place, a total of five minutes into town and he was rounding the block that would lead him to Laxus’s brick house.

Freed knocked on the front door and waited for a few moments. There came no reply so he leaned a little closer to the thick oak door and knocked again. This time Freed could just barely hear the sound of music drifting through the wood. If Freed could hear it from the front door he guessed it was so loud that Laxus didn’t hear him knocking.

He opened the door with the extra key Laxus had given him, the only extra key that was ever made. Laxus once said that he didn’t trust Evergreen or Bixlow enough to not disturb him at odd hours of the day so Freed was the only one who ended up with unrestricted access. A fact which Laxus nearly threatened Freed to keep secret. He didn’t mind much, and he knew to respect the leader of Rajinshuu’s boundaries.

Freed walked into the contemporary apartment that looked bare enough to be featured in a magazine on apartments for rent. But Freed knew as he climbed the stairs, where the music was coming from, that Laxus’s room was anything but bare. Sometimes Freed swore Laxus lived in that one room and never actually touched anything else in the apartment.

Not to his surprise the music got louder the closer Freed got to the bedroom. He was about to knock on the door when a realization stopped him. The music wasn’t just coming from overblown speakers, a strumming guitar rift was playing over some background instruments and Laxus’s voice was singing delicately.

Freed stood there a moment. Laxus knew every note, every chord and just the right amount of inflection to put in his voice. He sounded like some ethereal god singing sweet melancholic chords that swelled and pulsed with the light beating of the drums in the backbeat.

It made every hair on Freed’s body stand on end. It gave him goosebumps. He had  _ never _ heard Laxus sing like that. He didn’t even know Laxus  _ could  _ sing! But listening now Freed felt cheated somehow that he had never heard this beauty from him before. Smiling to himself Freed got ready to open the door.

When he did he saw Laxus laying back on his bed, an acoustic guitar in his hands as he strummed the chords to what Freed recognized as his favorite song. Laxus’s phone sat by his side lightly playing the rest of the instruments. Laxus’s voice faltered the second Freed opened the door.

His bed was facing the entrance and Freed saw everything when he walked in, he smirked. Laxus, however, flipped. He jumped up, shut off the music and tossed his guitar across the room where it thumped then hummed into silence.

Freed was about to open his mouth when Laxus stood up, and with arms crossed said, “This is  _ not  _ what it looks like.”

Freed gave a slight chuckle. Laxus couldn’t meet his eyes but he kept glancing over at Freed, his body half-turned to the wall. “And what does it look like, Lac?” Freed teased using the nickname he knew Laxus hated.

The blonde sneered at him then strut forward to push Freed out of the doorway and close the door to his room. “Alright, fine, I was singing and lost track of time. Let’s go now.” Laxus was halfway to the stairs before Freed could reply.

“You know Laxus, you don’t have to be shy about it,” Freed said following Laxus down the stairs.

“I ain’t shy, got it!” Laxus shouted.

Freed smiled to himself but before Laxus’s broad back could make its way to the front door he stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Laxus,” Freed began and Laxus turned to him, some of his self-control and stoicness back. “I loved hearing your talent. Why didn’t we know you could sing before?”

Laxus was back to blushing and he looked away. Shrugging he said, “Cuz I’m not an idiot like that metalhead.” Suddenly Laxus was grimacing as he continued. “I don’t sing horribly off-key when no one wants me to and I certainly don’t annoy everyone by shoving my horrible music ability in their face.”

Freed nodded, knowing exactly why Laxus had never shown this side of him before. “That’s right, you don’t. And I’m not going to say you should sing for us more, but I would love to hear your voice again sometime.” Freed stepped closer to Laxus, turning his head up to look him in the eye. Laxus was taller than Freed but he wasn’t invulnerable to his advances.

Freed had learned long ago how he could get under Laxus’s skin. And while he usually chose not to abuse that power, he wanted Laxus to know this time how attractive his voice made him sound.

Laxus blushed furiously but managed to keep a frown on his face as he replied. “Yeah, sure. Just don’t tell the others. Ever would never leave me alone if she knew.”

Freed laughed and backed off a little. “Your secret is safe with me. As long as I can keep listening to your beautiful voice.”

To Freed’s delight Laxus’s face softened and bit and he almost smiled. “Fine, ya green nerd. But only you, got it.”

Freed smiled back up at him. Laxus didn’t waste another second as he turned to open the front door. As they left for the guild together Freed didn’t even try to hide his self-satisfied smirk. Every day he was learning something new about Laxus. He adored that he was able to see the lightning dragon slayer come out of his shell more. His only hope continuing was that Laxus wouldn’t be shy about his obvious talent. At least not around Freed.


End file.
